Two men have been arrested for allegedly plotting an ISIS mass shooting in Sweden in retaliation at the burning of the Quran.
The two Afghan nationals, identified as Ibrahim MG and Ramin N, were held in Germany on Tuesday.
It is alleged they made concrete plans to open fire on police and members of the public near the Swedish parliament in Stockholm.
Prosecutors claim they planned the attack with ISIS representatives and made several failed attempts to buy weapons.
Investigators believe an attack was ordered by Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), a branch of the militant group active in Afghanistan.
The plot was allegedly drawn up in the summer of 2023 after a spate of incidents in which the Quran was desecrated in public.
The burnings in Sweden and Denmark led to a backlash in the Muslim world and a debate over the limits of free speech.
It is claimed Ibrahim MG joined a German branch of ISIS-K last August, having previously raised money for militants in Syria with the help of Ramin N.
The two men drew up attack plans after Ibrahim MG was given instructions to stage an attack “as a reaction to burnings of the Quran”, according to prosecutors.
“From then on, Ibrahim MG planned together with Ramin N to shoot dead police officers and others in the area of the Swedish parliament,” said the German prosecution office that handles terrorism cases.
“For that purpose, they both made concrete preparations in consultation with ISIS-K operatives. In particular, they did research on the internet about the conditions on the ground and tried several times, although without success, to acquire weapons.”
The two men are expected to be brought before a judge on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Ibrahim MG is suspected of being an ISIS member and supporter. Ramin N is a suspected supporter.
Both men are suspected of conspiracy to commit crimes and breaches of a foreign trade law that covers weapons.
Security services raised Sweden’s terrorist threat level from “elevated” to “high” last August, warning the country had become a “prioritised target”.
Ministers have condemned the burning of the Quran but are still weighing up whether to tighten laws on incitement.
Muslims across the region condemn burning of Quran in Sweden - in pictures
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Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
